A day after Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena recommended an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the procurement and supply of spurious and non-standard drugs, including some life-saving medicines, in Delhi Government hospitals and Mohalla Clinics, the Directorate of Vigilance of the Delhi Government has written to the health department to withdraw the drugs that failed quality standard tests and asked to ensure that no payments are made to firms for such drugs. The Vigilance Department has also sought clarification about when these drugs were being procured and supplied. It directed for an action-taken report to be submitted in the next 48 hours.
Saxena had recommended the probe into the alleged supply of drugs that “failed quality standard tests” and have the “potential of endangering lives” in Delhi government hospitals. The drugs that were found to be of “sub-standard quality” included critical life-saving antibiotics used for the treatment of lung and urinary tract infections Cephalexin, according to officials They also included a steroid for curing life-threatening inflammation in lungs, joints and swelling in the body Dexamethasone, anti-epilepsy and anti-anxiety psychiatric drug Levetiracetam and anti-hypertension drug Amlodepin, they said.
“You are requested to ensure that all such drugs which have failed the prescribed norms should be immediately quantified and seized as per due process of law on war footing. Secondly, you are also requested to ensure that no further payment is made to such companies and all the failed drugs may be immediately identified and should be removed from the stock of all the hospitals where such drugs have been supplied so as to ensure that the general public are not administered with such “Not of Standard Quality Drugs”. May also clarify since when these drugs are being procured and supplied,” read the official communication dated December 24 by Special Secretary (Vigilance Department) YVVJ Rajasekhar to Secretary Health.
In the communiqué, the Vigilance Department has requested to clarify as to how much payment is made till now to these companies and manufacturers and how much payment is pending. “Besides this, you are requested to take possession of all the documents related to the procurement of drugs inter-alia including tender documents and files relating to the same immediately and provide the original copy of the same to the Directorate of Vigilance, GNCTD on or before 26.12.2023. You are also requested to provide terms and conditions of the appointment of dealers /distributors for execution of supply in respect of above failed drugs,” read the letter.
According to the vigilance department, three of the 43 samples sent to government labs failed the test while 12 reports were still pending, adding that another five from a different batch of 43 samples also failed. Drugs such as amlodipine, levetiracetam, and pantoprazole failed in both government as well as private labs. Further, cephalexin and dexamethasone failed in private labs. The report of 11 samples was still pending with the government lab of Chandigarh.
The drug samples were lifted by the drug controller on July 25 from the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences, Lok Nayak, and Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospitals which cater to millions of patients, after allegations that several frequently-used medicines, procured from government hospitals were ineffective on patients. The samples were sent to approved government and private labs for testing. These drugs were procured by the Central Procurement Agency (CPA), under the Delhi government’s health department and supplied to various government hospitals.
The reports of the labs were sent by the drug controller and the health department for further action to the Directorate of Vigilance (DoV) in November. The DoV, based on the reports, found that more than 10% of the samples failed and were “not of standard quality”.
